Save me
by StreakedLemur
Summary: Summer break inbetween 6th and 7th year, Draco is in his families property down in Wales, runs across a stranger. a nekked stranger- that's how the first chapter starts out. it all expands from there, with more of JK Rowling's characters being added each
1. Default Chapter

He was home for summer break, the very last one before his last year at school. Soon he'd be a free man, yes. A man. He'd already taken the tests that allowed him to use magic outside of Hogwarts, and passed with flying colours. He was a full-fledged Warlock, or would be in a year; for now he was back at one of his parent's properties, trying to occupy is already bored mind.

So he went were he always used to go as a kid, off into the woods just to explore, to get away from the sheer presence of what he was sure was waiting for him when he had to make that fatal decision. He didn't want to make it, he really didn't. There was just too much on either side of the fence for him to deal with, so… while enjoying his freedoms of adulthood, he shed all other responsibilities and wandered far past his father's property line.

No one ever wandered around here anyways. Or they hadn't until today. There was a waterfall with accompanying pool that Draco had usually swam in, sunbathed by, and ate whatever lunch he had managed to pack. In sticking with childhood tradition, he had planned to do the same thing again, only to find someone else had already found the waterfall. A Muggle, judging by the pack lying on the ground near the edge of the water, and the clothing lying on the rocks by it.

Pause… wait a moment, clothing on rocks, underwear on rocks… the muggle, she was… naked. Her back was bare and facing him, her head turned up towards the fall of the water, eyes closed. She was beautiful, her body lithe and perfectly formed, her skin pale and unmarred, aside from the spattering of freckles he could see across her shoulders. Her red hair was short, only falling to her shoulders as she slicked it back from her face, before she turned around. His heart skipped a beat, he forced himself to swallow, but try as he might, he couldn't stop staring. Looking anywhere than the obvious place, he noticed a marking on her belly, circling around her belly button. He couldn't quite make out what it was. Suddenly her eyes opened, green orbs focusing directly on him, her hands lowering to cover herself.

"Uhm… Hello, I was told this place was abandoned for kilometers in every direction…" She had an accent, oh lord, an accent. He kind of just stood there, reveling in the fact that she was so foreign, so forbidden and yet so alluring. She was just a muggle, she had no defense against his magic, all he had to do was pull out his wand, and she'd be under his control. If only he could get his mind to work.

"Hey, I don't mean to be rude, but where I come from, staring isn't entirely comfortable when you're naked and wet. Could you at least pass me my towel? It's the MEC one on the rock"

"Em-EE-See?" He took a step closer, glancing at the things on the rock, the only thing that looked remotely like a towel was a little too small, a pastel green and made of the completely wrong material.

"Yeah, the green thing… oh, you guys might not have that over here, its Mountain Equipment Co-Op… Yeah, that's it, can you turn around so I can get clothed?" Despite the awkwardness of the situation, her voice was light, almost amused.

He used his wand to float the towel over to her, not even realizing what he was doing until she had it in her hand and was walking out of the water, he watched the droplets run down over her pale skin for a moment longer before jerking and turning around, "that's a weird towel, it doesn't look big enough to dry someone's face, let alone a whole body" What a stupid thing to say, he must seem like a complete dolt, what was –wrong- with his brain today? She was a Muggle! Lower than him, she should –not- have this power over him, but wait… she didn't say anything about how he got the towel to her, maybe…?

"It's a hiker's towel, or a mountaineering towel, its super absorbent, dries super quick and packs away really easily." She said casually, there was the rustle of cloth as she pulled her clothing on, he shivered a bit, and frowned, trying to keep his mind on the task at hand, whatever that was.

"Oh, right. Never really heard of that. What are you doing here? Out in the middle of no where?"

"Exploring really, they say there's a haunted castle somewhere to the north, I figured I'd check it out. I've got time to waste, and its surprisingly hot for jolly ole' England today, so I decided to wash off and cool down."

He blanched, the way to keep Muggles away from such a prominent home, was to have an air of danger and just a general derelict haunted glamour over the structure, but this girl clearly didn't care about that. In fact, it probably interested her more, "No, its not haunted, that's where I live, nothing really interesting there"  
"You live in a castle?" Her voice was closer, so he turned back to look at her. Up close she was a couple inches shorter than him, and clothed she seemed a little less mind boggling, but still alluring in a way he'd never experienced before, her hair was curling around her pale features, a short sleeved vest top on, exposing her freckled shoulders still, and shorts that came barely to mid thigh, her green eyes were watching him curiously, "are you a ghost then, stranger?"

"I'm as real as you are," He said evenly, brows raising eloquently, watching her eyes as opposed to the rest of her, cause her eyes were safe, they were laughing and glittering and mesmerizing. He could suddenly hear his mind go 'Bloody Hell!'.

"My name is Rowan" She said suddenly, smiling and offering him her hand, "and you are?"

He swallowed softly, taking her hand and raising it to his lips, kissing the back of it formally, always the suave gentleman his parents taught him to be, his blonde hair falling into his features, "Draco Malfoy"

She laughed softly, clearly taken aback, her brows raised as he let her hand go and looked back up to watch her, a faint blush on her cheeks, "Well, a posh English Gentleman… I'll be; that only happens in the movies. How'd you do that trick with the towel if you aren't a ghost?"

"What?" It slammed into him like a weight, she knew. She had noticed and she didn't understand it, but she didn't make a big deal out of it, she just so calmly asked him. As if she didn't care that it happened, she was just innocently curious, "Look, I shouldn't have done that in front of you, but you wont remember it when you wake up, or any of this."

He was pulling his wand out as he said that, his expression somewhat not very happy at this whole situation, and as he raised his eyes to her, wand coming at the ready, he met her gaze, which nearly made him jump. She was angry

She was very angry, one hand raised, as if to block the wand, "I don't care how you did it, or why you did it, or whom you think is going to get mad at you for doing it. But you're –NOT- going to try to mess around with my mind and memories. What kind of bigot do you think you are, assuming that you can make the decision of what I can and can't know? That's my decision to make, and no one else's, and you have no right trying to take that from me just because you have something that I don't. I'm not freaking out and trying to stone you because you're different from me."

His mouth dropped open a bit, brows rising. How dare she, how dare she accuse him of being a bigot. Telling him that he didn't have the right, he was a bloody Malfoy. He could do anything he wanted, because he had power. She could be his slave if he wanted her to be. But the thing was, he didn't. Him, Draco Malfoy, despiser of all things Muggle, thought she had a point, and it made her that much more desirable. He lowered his wand, frowning softly, head tilting to the side, " You don't realize what you are dealing with, if someone found out…"

She cut him off, shaking her head fiercely, though she lowered her hand as he lowered his wand, still watching him skeptically, "Who's going to find out? I'm not going to tell anyone. I'd be locked away before anyone believed me. I have no reason to tell anyone anyways, I have nothing to gain from your talents, other than cheap self gratification, but that's not worth it."

"You…you.." he just stood there, not understanding. Everything he'd been told, about Muggles not knowing how to deal with this sort of thing, and creating mass panic, feeling threatened by the power they held, them being lower and less worthy than the Wizarding folk, the pure bloods… it all spun around his head, but he couldn't make sense of it, of anything, while she was standing there in front of him.

"I refuse to be a victim, Draco. That's all." She turned away from him, moving to her pack silently… he watched her move, watched her as she sat down on her bag and dried her feet. He didn't know what to do, other than stand there, eyes locked on her movements even as simple as putting on her socks, then shoes. Again, she raised her eyes to him when it was done, as if just realizing he was still watching her, head tilting to the side, "What is it?"

"I've never met anyone like you, actually." He says softly, stepping close to her and moving to crouch to her level, his wand is gone now, out of site, hands resting lightly on the ground, head tilted to the side as well, "You are quite amazing"

She frowns softly, looking rather cynical at that, "What are you talking about?"

"All the things I thought you would care about, you don't. You made me feel like an absolute fool, and you don't show any fear even though I could possibly hurt you very easily" His words are soft, and he looks confused, turning his head to watch the waterfall, pursing his lips.

"You still are just a man, Draco. You bleed like me, cry like me, get wet like me" And with that, she pushed him into the pond of water, laughing. He fell backwards and went under easily, spluttering as he came back to the surface, looking absolutely flabbergasted, "Bloody hell Woman…"

She was standing now, on the edge of the pond, laughing at him, "Well, you definitely look like a wet cat now." Her expression was mischievous, almost flirtatious, and far to amused for his liking. He just stood there in the water sullenly glaring at her. Draco couldn't help it though, watching her stand on the rocks laughing at him, he smiled. The situation was so utterly amusing; he cracked a genuine smile and chuckled a bit, "You do realize that I hold grudges for a really long time, don't you Rowan?"

"I'm shaking in my boots, Draco. Really, I am" She continued laughing, watching him as he pulled himself out of the water. Her brows raised as he took out his wand, muttered a couple words and was instantly dry, even his pale blonde hair was perfectly styled again, her expression was curious, but still amused, "well that takes all the fun out of anything, I go to all that trouble to make you wet and you can just flick a switch and be dry again."

He tilted his head to the side, shaking his head and chuckling softly, "Only on the surface." He paused as he watched her, eyes running along her features, lowering over her shoulders and down her body, before he smiled again, "Your tattoo, what is it of?"

She gave him a curious look before simply blinking and looking down at her stomach, slowly reaching to pull her shirt up past her belly button, "It's a snake. I've always liked them, my father let me have one since I was a child, so I got one put on my skin"

" A snake?" he murmured, raising his hand to gingerly trace a couple fingers over the tattoo, around her belly button and finally to the creature's head. He grinned roguishly as her skin trembled at his touch, raising his eyes to hers again, "You ever get the feeling like you've known someone forever, even when you've just met them?"

"Like right now?" her voice was soft, face tilted up towards him, and she didn't object when his arms slid around her waist, pulling her closer to him, she merely smiled carefully, raising her hands to his cheeks, urging his head to lower to hers.

And they kissed.

Most of the girls he had kissed in his lifetime had been just that, girls. They had looked to him for guidance in this sort of playing field and he had taken control. Why? Because that was what he did, he took control of things. He was the one that guided where things went, the one who made decisions. Until now, it seemed. She knew what she was doing and where she wanted this to go. He didn't fight her for control though, nor she him. They both just fell into what they were doing, as if it had happened a thousand times before, as if they had practiced this merely seconds before. At the same time that they both knew all the right movements by heart, it was so shockingly different from anything he had experienced before. His mind swam and he slowly sunk to his knees, seemingly dragging her down with him, he couldn't see straight so he closed his eyes.

They needed to breath at some point.

It seemed to him that it was over far to quickly when she pulled away, running her hands through his hair before lowering them to her lap, frowning softly, "things like this don't really happen. Life doesn't do this, this only happens in stories, or daydreams. Life has never been this easy for me." Her voice was pained, her face turned away from him, eyes partly closed.

"Nor I" he murmured, raising one hand to her jaw, to carefully pull her eyes back to him, "but let it be, just for now. I'll have to return home tonight, then back to school in autumn, but right now, life is easy for us, isn't it?" He had to make her understand. He didn't want this to end, but he knew it would, and he would return to his world, with his pressures, and she would return to her own. For now though, until they had to part ways, he wanted it to be just simply them.

"Just this once." She inclined her head carefully, smiling now, her expression thoughtful. Rowan would leave in the direction she came when he returned home, and he would never see her again. She would travel the world, running from her own demons, and probably forget any of this had ever happened, pass it all off as some sort of waking dream.


	2. So Much for the after glow

It was such a lonely feeling castle sometimes, when all the children were asleep and silence echoed through the vaulted ceilings and into every room. Just sitting there in his office he would close his eyes, hearing only the breathing of Fawkes and the pictures on his wall, and feel as if he were the only one left here. All the stresses of the day would leave; he would no longer worry about the children that were slipping through his fingers, the ones he couldn't reach. Another year had started; so many more of the students open to anything that was promised to them. He could not help every one of them and it broke his heart knowing that he had failed them in that way.

There was suddenly a knock at his door, down below where the entrance was guarded, and Albus opened his eyes, sitting up and murmuring the ascent for the doors to open. So late, he couldn't imagine who it would be. Turning around to face the top of the staircase as the steps came to the top; he paused in everything, even breathing for that one moment. Draco Malfoy was not anyone he would have assumed would be walking through his door. A shiver rose up through his spine and his stomach lurched. Draco had passed his tests this summer, had become an adult in the wizarding community. The boy's father would definitely have given him the choice and Albus was afraid that this was one child he had failed.

"Draco, you should be in bed at this hour" He smiled in his friendly manner, eyes twinkling mischievously over those half-moon glasses of his and waved to a seat, "morning comes early for a student but sit down, I am here to talk to" He had always been here for them to talk to, his heart wrenched in despair-please let it not be too late- .

The boy, no… he wasn't a boy anymore, his shoulders had broadened and his features matured even over just the summer, the young man inclined his head, " I know, Professor Dumbledore, but I had to speak with you, as soon as possible" Draco sat down in the chair, watching his hands which were clasped in his lap, frowning softly.

"You seem worried about something, I do profess surprise, you have never admitted trust in my person before," It wasn't disapproval though; it was an observation, forgiveness if the child needed it.

"I am. I fear I will betray my father… and I do not know who else to go to" Finally, his head lifted, and Albus paused, one more time. Gone was the bitter, hateful expression this one had always carried. The ignorant hate and bigotry handed down from his father had dispersed completely. There was still darkness there, he was afraid there would always be darkness, but… there was hope and raw fear, "I have told him I will not join with him beside the Dark Lord, I don't want to join them, Professor."

Albus finally took in a breath, nodding sagely, "do not let any sort of fear tell you that you must, Draco. You will be protected here." Could it be this simple? This child just changing his mind so easily in just two months, after all he had done to try and give? He wanted to question it, but not now… not yet, "you will never be alone in your decision, no matter how dark the days ahead may seen"

He nodded at those words, looking relieved. He seriously thought that he would be turned away, so sure that his actions before now would make him be denied a chance to change, "thank you Professor. But, I also… I also want to help, when I graduate. I would fight as well"

"It's a horrible hour, Draco, when a man as young as yourself must sacrifice this much, and I can not tell him that he should not give anymore. But you will be welcomed in the ranks"

"No I won't. I know what people think of me…" Draco shook his head, it wasn't self-pity, or bitterness that drove those words, just honesty and acceptance, "but I wish to change these thoughts. I- I'm not perfect, but I do wish to do what I can"

"No one is perfect, child." Albus waved his wand, floating a glass of pumpkin juice over to the student, "And everyone has demons they have dealt with. I admire your strength for making this decision"

Brows rising, Draco took the cup with a self-depreciating grin. He took a sip before shaking his head and speaking, "I can't say I didn't have something change me before taking this step, Professor. I don't know what I would have chosen if…"

So there was an explanation, a gentle smile curled his lips and he leaned forwards, resting his chin on his folded fingers, "what changed your mind, child?"

"I met this girl…" The smile on his features was dazzling, one so pure that it was hard to look at, Dumbledore had never seen the boy smile this way, but it was the last words that he said that set the Headmaster's mind reeling, "I met this muggle girl…"

And so time passed… 

Harry was running, running like he had never before. They had split him off from Ron while they were doing a general sweep in the area that had been a rumored hotspot for Death Eater activity. There were innocent people nearby, and the only escape would lead him right through a crowd of defenseless muggles. They were catching up to him, and there were far too many for him to turn around and face. He had to make a decision now, he was panting and stumbling as he crossed through a deserted public square, they were so close he could hear their soft laughter and the rustle of their cloaks as they moved. He needed a second, one second to open up a doorway out of here, but if he stopped for that second, they would kill him.

All the smartest traveling guides always warned you about cutting through back alleys that led to places where shadows lurked. She had read those, but ignored them. The most interesting things could be found while exploring an abandoned alleyway, things the locals never told you about. And so she was there, standing in the corner of the square, bottle raised to her lips as she drank, a man stumbled from another alleyway, panting, pushing the glasses up his nose, mousy brown hair plastered with sweat to his forehead. He was being chased, she frowned and reached for the only weapon she had available, a slingshot. Rowan could hear the laughter of whomever was following him, but instead of looking to see who it was, she bent down and picked up a handful of pebbles.

"So much for staying out of trouble with the natives…" She muttered to herself as she straightened. They had him cornered, and they knew it. But they didn't see her as they drew their weapons… "Hold on." again, to herself as she noticed that all parties included this chase had wands.

"You have no where to go, Potter… what a disappointing Auror you are, not even able to live through your first unsupervised tour of duty,"

The voice was cold, malicious… and he knew they were right. He had run as far as he could go… so he spun around, brandishing his wand from his robes, jaw gritting, "It's not over yet."

The three Death Eaters, none of them he could recognize, spread out, facing him… all laughing at his words, "oh, but it is … You are ours"

Rowan rolled her eyes, shaking her head, " this is all too typical of a movie… the hero's last stand, its almost a shame to interrupt," Her words were more breathed than anything else as she took aim at the one in the middle, pulling the sling back as far as she could possibly get. And she released.

Harry started as one of the Death Eater's head snapped forwards, followed by the rest of the man's body. Something had hit him, but wha…? Every single one of the wizards turned towards the sound of the female voice, Harry frantically calling up a doorway as they did so.

"Hey! You creepy looking freaks in the black robes! Yes, you! Who came from the backwaters of Cult Ville, Utah. I don't think he wants to go with you!"

She cursed her stupidity as the two standing evil looking Wizards looked at her, well…if you're going to go out… she released another rock at them, cause that was the only attack she knew.

The door opened, Harry standing there with his back to it, watching the girl… she was across the square from him, how was he going to get her with him? He glanced around frantically, looking for something to use, anything. He wasn't going to leave her defenseless, he –couldn't- suddenly there were arms grabbing him from behind and he was being pulled through, kicking and screaming.

The black haired one, the one that was closest to her, raised his wand and the rock stopped midair, spinning around for a moment before crumbling into dust and dropping harmlessly to the ground, "Muggle, you do not understand what you have done."

The third one was getting up, glaring viciously as he rubbed the back of his head, looking ready to kill her on the spot, but even a wizard couldn't do that, could they?

"Actually, it's quite simple what I did. I let the guy you were chasing escape," as she had planned, with her words, they all turned towards the other guy was standing, and she took her cue and took off running down the alley she had come from, one that was hidden around the corner from the one they ran through. Or, at the very least, she tried to run. One stride, two strides… and the third, well the third never came as her world was enveloped in pain.

"Let me go! We have to go back there! There's a girl there! They'll kill her!" Harry screamed, and pulled away from the people holding him, he spun around, glaring at his fellow Auror's, Lupin being one of them. They frowned at that, looking at each other, and then back to his growling visage.

"Harry, are you sure?"

"Yes! Bloody Hell! Yes! I'm sure, there's a girl, and she's Muggle I think! She's the only reason I was able to call up the doorway! We have to go back!" he screamed, his scar was throbbing, and he stubbornly pushed his glasses up his nose.

Suddenly, Malfoy was there, grinning slightly, "Well, let's go back then… and see if we can clean Potter's imaginary rescuer off the walls, cause she's dead by now."

Harry knew this, but he had to go back. He just had to… So he danced impatiently from foot to foot as they opened the doorway again, and stepped into the square, wands at the ready.

But it was empty. And eerily silent, so much so that he doubted they had returned to the right place. Well, until he glanced around and saw the girl's backpack and water bottle laying forgotten in the corner she had been in last. He ran, there… hoping to find her lying there, unconscious. Anywhere around there, forgotten or assumed unimportant.

Even injured, cause they could cure an injury, easily. Just not missing, "please god…"

The square remained empty aside from the seven Aurors that had filed in after him; they had taken her, or killed her so effectively that she was never going to be found again. All because of him. Harry let out a groan and fell to his knees by her bag, face going into his hands.

He only looked up when he heard take in a sharp breath beside him. A surprised breath, an upset breath, "By Merlin… no, its not…"

With those words, Harry glanced up to the other man, frowning softly as Malfoy leapt on the pack, pulling it open as quickly as he could manage. He was rifling through her belongings, out came a camera, a guide book that read "Florence: An Escape to the Magical"

"Are you looking for this, Draco?" Lupin enquired softly, holding up a small black passport wallet, frowning a bit. No one could understand Malfoy's reaction; they were all looking at him as if he had lost his mind.

An Escape to the Magical… Harry couldn't get past that, it was so morbidly true, and he started laughing as Draco leapt around him to Lupin, snatching the wallet from the other man and frantically unzipping it. Here, a Passport.

It couldn't be. He had read about Muggle mass manufacturing, a thousand other girls could easily have the same backpack as her. He hadn't seen her in over a year, had not stopped wondering where she had gone, or even what her last name had been. And here he was, opening up some strange Muggle's identification, heart racing in a way that made his stomach sink quicker than he ever thought it could. Her last name was Blackwater, it was such a beautiful name; Rowan Blackwater.

The sky had turned black as his eyes slid over the document and he saw her picture, the ground seemed to disappear and all he could hear was someone laughing in the back of his mind. He closed his eyes willing this to all go away, willing himself to wake up out of this horrible nightmare. The laughter continued, it pulled him back to where they were… and his spine went rigid with anger, the sky shifted from black to red, and he screamed, "Potter!"

Draco launched himself at the other man, slamming his fist into Harry's jaw. He lost control then, not for any reason he could readily explain, he didn't even know what he was doing after that first punch.

The darkness receded after a long time. Her body still ached with a pain she couldn't identify, it was all over and it was even in her mind. She had never felt like this before, it was lingering memory of pain, yet her whole being flinched just to think about it. Blinking, Rowan lifted her head, glancing around the small room she was in. Her hands and feet were bound behind her, but try as she might, she could not feel the texture of the ropes, it was if something invisible held her there, something she couldn't fight or escape from. With that thought, panic hit her, causing her mind to go blank with fear and her breathing to accelerate. She was alone here; she was left here and forgotten; at the mercy of creatures far more powerful than her. There was nothing she could do.

"Yes… fear is a wise choice" something said from the shadows, a man… or something close enough to it to be called a reincarnate of evil as well, "squirm you worthless little worm, scream for me. Beg me to show you mercy…"

She could faint, she knew that if she stopped fighting for control she could relapse into that darkness again and maybe that creature would be gone. She could also scream and beg it, ask to just die now. She could do everything it wanted and expected her to do or,

"Bite me you slimy dumb-fuck" she bit out, spitting at the creature, her jaw setting, glaring at it right back.

It looked furious, affronted and downright evil. 'So this is why pride is a sin' she thought idly as it pulled out its wand. What a pretty wand, kinda looked like the same one that boy was carrying, if her memory served her right. The arc of his swing was almost tantalizing to watch, and for once he sounded human, "Crucio!"

Rowan wished she could say that the pain was mind numbing. If it were numbing at all, it would definitely be a gracious mercy. But it wasn't, it fried every circuit in her brain, maybe her scream and swear that it hurt so much she was about to puke up blood. It burnt with heat and cold at the same time, gouged every part of her skin and then flayed her alive. She did not black out as quickly as last time, it must have been the creature keeping her awake much longer than she could have physically had managed.

But darkness finally came.

"He's bloody insane, Albus!" Harry yelled, scowling at his ex-headmaster through a black eye, his lip was split, and with the words it started bleeding again, "he attacked me! I refuse to work with him. He's always been evil, he did not change."

Albus' eyes darkened and he stood up, looming both physically and mentally over the young man, it was the first time Harry had ever felt that anger and power turned against him. It caused him to shrink back and sit in his chair, "Draco is not evil, Mr. Potter. He was distraught. If it was Ron that was taken, and in the same circumstances, just with Draco, what would you have done?"

"She was a muggle" Harry said stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"All the more reason for him to be upset. She had no defense, where Ronald would have had some sort of fighting chance. Does her lack of magic make her expendable to you?"

He turned his head away, shaking it fiercely, "that's not what I meant… I wanted more than any body else to get back there, I didn't even want to leave her, but they pulled me out. She stood up for me, not knowing the danger she was in, and Death Eaters have her now, because of me"

"What did you mean then, Harry?"

"I meant, that just moments before, Draco was expecting to find her strewn across the entire square in pieces, he didn't care at all. Then as soon as he realizes it's real, he actually cares. Or pretends to"

Albus sighed and sat down, rubbing his temples as he watched the boy, "He is no more evil than you or me Harry. He pretends not to care, when he really actually does, because unlike you, he gave up everything in his world to stand beside us against Voldemort"

"So he attacked me because she was a muggle and he cares about all of them?"

Albus shook his head, laughing softly, "No… him more than any of us realizes that they might need our protection in these things, but they are his equals in other ways."

Harry snorted, one brow raising skeptically, " Draco Malfoy has an equal in his mind?"

"Just think of it like this, Harry.." the older wizard said softly, leaning forwards, his voice pitching lower, " That girl, this Rowan Blackthorn, she knew what she was doing when she bought you time. She knows about wizards and the war. She might not know who you are, but she did have an idea as to what was in store for her"

"How?" Harry had gone white, feeling sicker by the moment. Someone had knowingly put herself into that much danger, knowing they didn't have a chance? Was it really that noble of an act, or did she act before she thought like he did so many times himself?

A curious smile, one that was laced with grief and a heartbreaking sort of hope crossed the face of the wizard, his words even softer again, "Draco knows her. She is the reason he is here on our side, most likely. She was the first Muggle he ever really met, and I dare say I think that she may have been his soul mate. If such a thing exists"

"An escape to the magical" he murmured brokenly, moving to stand and walk slowly from the office.

It was darkness all around her again. Soothing, painless darkness, she was something more or less than alive, floating here surrounded by this safety net from the outside. Everything else was so far away she couldn't even remember what she was hiding from, she was just here and it was way over there.

Suddenly she couldn't breath and she was cold, so much colder than darkness was before. Surrounded now by water that was pulling her down, the pain was a haunting memory again. She needed to swim, but her hands were still bound by that invisible force. And so she was going to sink like this. Would it be such a bad way to die? Apparently it would be denied her in any case; before Rowan could just take in a breath of water and finish it quicker, she was yanked roughly out of the water and deposited to shiver on the floor. She coughed roughly several times, having to blink at the bright light before she could make out the form of a man in front of her. Yes, it was a man this time, tall… blond hair cruel eyes. Her heard leapt for a moment, it was him! It was Draco. But then the man sneered at her, kicking her over with the tip of his shoe, and she could see the difference. The lack of innocence in him, a darkness that shouldn't belong in something so beautiful, the tracks of age showing in his eyes if not anywhere else.

"The Dark Lord will no longer waste his time on you, Muggle filth." he spat at her, watching her with those cruel eyes, as if he didn't think her worth his time.

She should be afraid of him, her body still shuddered at the fact that he could easily use that spell on her and put her back into that pain again. But she wasn't, perhaps she was already loosing her control on reality, because all she wanted to ask him was if he was related to Draco.

"Tell me why you helped the whelp, Potter" He was like a fallen angel, she thought idly, with the golden glow of whatever light source he was using. Someone who'd lost his faith so long ago. He pointed his wand at her, "tell me and I will kill you quicker than you deserve."

"Because…" It was hard to remember how to talk for some reason, her mind felt as jittery as her limbs did, but she managed to continue, "that's what decent people do. Help those who need help"

His lip curled in a disgusted manner, "Spare me your blather… so righteous, so self-justified. No one is going to help you now… a sad thought for you: that perhaps you are the last decent human being left on this planet. Crucio"

It was only a jolt of pain; it caused her so much pain in that brief second that she couldn't even scream she just jerked and fell into the fetal position. She was there longer than the spell lasted, it was so hard now… to remember who she was, what she was talking about. She was crying, and somewhere she felt as if she shouldn't do that in front of him but she didn't know why.

"But you are telling me the truth… That is the most disgusting thing of all, how absolutely idiotic you and your ideals are. And your good deed will get you no joy" he was waving his wand again; mouth opening to form that horrible word again, and she had to stop it. She just had to stop it any way she could. She didn't know how she could, so she merely said the first thing that came to mind.

"Malfoy…"

He jerked back as if slapped, his cruel eyes widening in surprise. His wand halted its painfully beautiful curve, and he watched her in shocked silence for just a moment, "How do you know my name? Tell me! Now!"

She was suddenly jerked up into the air, so she was hanging suspended right in front of his face, she blinked, how did she know his name? The words came again, "Because I know your son, Draco. "  
"Liar!" He screamed at her, slapping her. Real pain. Physical pain that came from the outside and not the inside. Pain that should anger her, it really should. But this was a relief. It proved that the world existed beyond the shady memory of the pain in her soul, "He is not –my- son any longer!"

"I taught him that we aren't all victims," she said softly, in a confused manner… before she was suddenly dropped to the hard floor. The pain was sharp; it tugged on something she couldn't quite grasp. She remembered, but it seemed to be out of her reach. Or perhaps she wasn't even reaching; perhaps she was just paralyzed inside.

His eyes flashed at that as he lowered the wand down to rest gently in the middle of her forehead, teeth bared in a silent snarl, "Then you will show him that you were wrong! Crucio!"

Was she really screaming? Or did she just think she was?

He didn't know why he was so concerned about it, really. Perhaps he was just trying to get his mind off other things, pull himself out of that dark hole he had been in for the last two days. It was just infuriating him further. No one had the morning paper. No matter where he looked in the entire compound, there wasn't anything. Yesterday's was in a neat stack on the coffee table, but he had already read that this morning. Had thought it was today's till he looked at the date. Draco Malfoy wanted to read the paper and Draco Malfoy always got what he wanted.

He was storming towards the kitchen when Ronald Weasley caught up to him, frowning softly, "Draco… Albus wants to talk to you in his office, now"

"Does he know where all the morning papers have gone?" Draco bit off, stopping and glaring at the ginger haired man.

Ron gave him a curious look before shaking his head slowly and shrugging at the same time, "I dunno mate, but I'm sure he could get one for you if you wanted…"

"Bloody hell," Draco snarled and stalked off in the other direction again, towards where he was being waited for.

"Draco… please, take a seat" Albus was sitting there, holding a folded up newspaper in his hand, watching him with a worried expression.

His eyes lit up when he saw the paper, "Finally, the news… I've been looking for it everywhere." But he sat down, waiting for Albus to speak. When the older wizard didn't, he frowned softly and looked up from where the paper was folded in the other man's hands to him, "what is it?"

Another cautious expression, before Albus unfolded the paper and laid it out on the desk for him to read the head line.

"MUGGLE DROPPED OFF AT ST MUNGOS!" Draco snorted softly, but the subtitle underneath it gave him pause "It is believed that she was tortured by Death Eaters, in relation to the muggle-napping that took place only two days ago, in Florence"

He went chalk white and read the rest of the article, which didn't have much more information than that, other than the fact that the Muggle papers were considering her disappearance in relation to terrorists and her father, a millionaire from the United States was offering a considerable amount for her safe return.

"Rowan… they let her go," He looked up to Albus and stood suddenly, "I need to go there, I need to see her"  
The other man winced and stood as well, "Draco, if they let her go… she will not be who she was. She will not be whole any longer."

He closed his eyes, taking in a shaky breath… he nodded carefully at that, "I know, but she's alive. And I'm the only one she knows, please. I need to see her."

"This is why it's called an Unforgivable curse" the nurse said softly, shaking her head, "She will probably never be able to go home"

Draco's heart fell at those words and he would have lashed out at the lady, if he hadn't seen Rowan first. He crossed the room quickly to where she lay on a bed; eyes clenched shut, head turned to one side. She didn't look injured, pale maybe, just a bruise in the shape of a hand on one of her cheeks. She didn't look tortured, "Why is she being restrained?"

"She keeps on trying to scratch her own eyes out," the nurse said sadly again, bowing her head, "Sometimes it sounds as if she's talking perfectly well, but suddenly she'll start screaming and attempting to do herself harm. This is all we can do"

"Rowan…" she shifted a bit, but she didn't respond. Her eyes remained closed, head facing away from him, so he gently placed a hand on her forehead; it was so cool, "Nurse, she needs more blankets she's nearly freezing." The lady gave him an offended look before turning and storming off, leaving her alone with him, "Rowan, look at me. I'm here to take you with me."  
"I can't… they can't see anything Draco" she said softly, shivering a bit as he traced his hand over her eyebrows.  
She knew him, she remembered him. That was enough for now, surely it was enough, "Then keep your eyes closed and we'll leave. I've got somewhere safe for you"

"Rowan, you have to promise me you wont try and hurt yourself… there's a blindfold over your eyes, so you can not see anything, but I wont untie you until you promise me that you wont hurt yourself"

She didn't respond to him, had merely remained catatonic the whole trip back here, into the safe house and up to the room he had prepared for her. Him, personally all by himself, he wouldn't allow anyone else to touch anything, but it wasn't done in a style that was completely his taste, it had warmer colours, a couple pictures on the wall, plush carpeting, everything he thought she'd want in a room to be comforted in. It was so much healthier than the blank, safe walls of the hospital in his opinion. Not that she could see the colours yet, but he wanted her to, wanted her to open her eyes at some point.

He lay her down on the bed, carefully moving to take her shoes and jacket off. These tasks could so easily be done by magic, but he had to touch her, he had to allow her to feel him.

They said that people who could not see could feel things far more intensely than those who could; they could smell, taste and hear with higher accuracy as well. So where he had made everything visually pleasing, he had also made things feel the softest and warmest and above all else: everything smelled like him because it had been handled solely by his hands.

Still, she didn't respond. He had tucked her into the bed, laying her on her back with her hands bound down by her waist. She was so pale, her lips parted every so gently, showing him her teeth. Not because she meant to show them to him, but because that was how they had been this whole time; she seemed so far away from him right in that room.

"Rowan… please luv, come back."

Harry stood there and watched the other man sit on the edge of the bed for what seemed like an eternity. There were no windows in this room, windows were too much of a security hazard, but he could hear the clocks downstairs chiming away the hours. He was hidden behind his invisibility cloak in the far corner of the room just watching what he had always considered his arch nemesis bow his head over the woman who had saved his life. It was a strange twist of fate, really. Almost amusing in a morbid sense; people who you think are your enemies because of conflicting ideals turn out to be your saviors in the end. It wasn't Draco who saved him though, it was this girl. This Rowan who was lying unresponsive on a bed that looked to be made from a muggle fairytale, if only there were laces and frills on it. Eight chimes now. They had been here nearly the whole day now but Harry could not leave. Not as long as Draco was in the room to see the door open unbidden or hear the pop of teleportation. Not as long as she remains impassive to the very man she had doomed herself to saving. So the boy who lived once more remained there contemplating the difference between justified and preconditioned hate.

Twelve bells. It was a twelve hour clock that was chiming out the time in her ears, down below her in the distant darkness. Her world would have to remain in darkness now, they had seen to that. They had to be kept from seeing. It would be so much easier if she were merely allowed to remove any temptation of sight from her body. Since she couldn't do that, she must remain in here, this cold lonesome prison she had imposed on her own mind. It wasn't hard, the pain still lingered in every part of her being, so she merely had to stop fighting and withdraw from that delicate realm of control. Everyone was safe when she was here. The only problem was that there was a part of her mind that didn't like this sort of prison; the part of her mind that was latching onto the sounds of the chiming and pulling her back towards the warmth and sensations. The sounds of breathing came to her next. Her breathing was more felt than anything else, and then there was someone else, right near her. It sounded pained, if something as simple as a breath could sound pained, and deep as if the breather next to her were sleeping. She was about to think more on that, about to grasp just who it was who was near her when she heard another breath, it was further than the first one but closer than the chimes were, near silent and on edge, as if anticipating something. She wished so hard that she could open her eyes, it pained her and she wanted to see who was there more intensely than she had ever wanted anything else. The curiosity burned inside her head and she nearly did. Nearly gave into that dangerous urge. Suddenly her mind froze and her breath caught, heart nearly leaping straight out her throat. It wasn't her who wanted to see this. No, it was them; they were there, digging at her mind, trying to weasel their way into controlling what she did. It was him who was right beside her, she could smell him now; recognize everything about him that she could feel. He was waiting for her, he had found her. And she wanted him, she wanted to hold him, touch him…. her hands twitched… _kill him._

"Draco!"

He jumped; his whole body stiffening at the sudden disruption to the silent air in the room. Had he fallen asleep while watching her? Was it a dream that woke him or someone else? That voice didn't sound like hers, and she still lay still, not moving or making a noise. One hand went out to brush along her forehead and he frowned deeply, she wasn't even breathing anymore.

"Lumos!" his wand was out, and it was shedding a fierce light through out the dark room. When had the lights gone out, he had cast them to fade with the sun, to replace the lack of a window. Surely it wasn't night already, he had only been here moments, hadn't he?

Her face was turning blue, mouth tightly clamped closed, a pained expression on whatever features of hers not blocked out by the blind fold, "Rowan! Oh gods, Rowan… don't!"

He shouldn't have brought her away from the hospital, he couldn't care for her like this, and now he was going to watch her die of her own doing. He quickly unbound her arms, moving to pull her closer to him moving to attempt to open her mouth, he would FORCE her to breathe if he must, and he would not let her die.

Then the strangest thing happened; she opened her mouth in a bitter sort of smile, her hands moving up his arms, hands wrapping themselves around his neck. Suddenly she pushed off the bed with more force than he thought her legs were able to, sending them both crashing to the floor. She was trying to kill him. She was strangling him, his wand had gone flying the moment they hit the floor, his hands moving to her forearms, trying to pull them away, but he couldn't. Suddenly he couldn't breathe, either.

He didn't want to hurt her; he couldn't hurt her after everything she'd already been through. He couldn't use his wand then, for the only thing he could think of at this moment would probably damage her mind further. Draco seemed to be unable to physically remove her from his neck, so all Harry could think of doing beyond all that, in this small realm of time, was tackling her in the form of Muggle-style Rugby players. Harry wasn't good at emergency situations, not thinking in them anyways. He usually just acted with his heart and hoped to whatever was watching over him that it would be enough to get him through. A bad habit some times, most times. Perhaps every time he utilized this habit he was an idiot, but he was still alive to this point; so it must work on some level. When his weight hit her body, she was surprised, letting go of Draco in shock as Harry's weight carried her off of him, screaming in a voice that definitely was not her own. She attempted to hit him, but he quickly grabbed a wrist with each of his hands, straddling her thighs to keep her from kicking him and holding her there as she screamed and thrashed.

The light was disjointed in the room, still coming only from his wand which lay on the ground, pointed at the wall. So it was in shadows and half lights that Draco saw Harry pinning Rowan to the ground, his invisibility cloak draping over the two of them disjointedly, making them seem as specters in a horrible nightmare. He coughed a couple times, rolling to his feet, one hand moving to his throat as he watched her quiet once she was restrained. "Potter… Get off of her"

"She's dangerous Malfoy; she just tried to kill you"

"She doesn't know what she's doing, get off!"

"That's the problem, Draco! She doesn't know what she's doing; she probably doesn't even know who you are anymore"

If Rowan hadn't been there, starting to sob brokenly, Draco would have attacked Harry right then and there, would have killed the other man, perhaps. But she was there, and she was crying; she was already broken. Perhaps Harry saw that on Draco's face then, or maybe it was her crying that affected him as well; but whatever the case, the other man stood up, letting go of her and stepping to the side as he rushed to scoop her into his arms. There was no more strength in her body or tension waiting to strike at him, she merely curled into him, face burying into his shoulder and arms wrapping around his chest.

"Now, Leave us alone, Harry" His words were commanding, but no longer harsh or loud. He couldn't yell anymore, fearing that it would upset her even further; he merely buried his head into her hair, rocking the two of them back and forth. He wasn't even aware of whether or not the other man left the room after that, the only sounds he could hear were her pained sobs and half-murmured words.

"I don't think that it's safe for her nor anyone coming in and out of this house to keep her here. She needs to return to St. Mungos where she can undergo treatment, under the care of healers that are skilled in dealing with her." He said finally, looking over at Dumbledore, a regrettable expression on his face. He had thought long and hard about this over the last couple hours. Had tried to sleep some after leaving Rowan's room, but merely stared at his ceiling in the darkness. He had merely waited for the morning and walked half asleep into his former headmaster's office, scratching idly at the stubble growing on his jaw.

The older man sighed and leaned back in his chair, half moon glasses perched on the very end of his nose, looking somewhat mournfully down at his breakfast and tea, " And why do you feel so strongly about that, now?"

"She's unpredictable and completely unable to grasp reality. Already Rowan has demonstrated violent tendencies and I think that with the right, or wrong in this case, stimuli, that she could do serious damage"

"And you don't think being around the only familiar person in this wizarding world of ours will help calm her, and perhaps lead her down the path to healing? Besides, as you said yourself, she is just a muggle, what harm could she seriously do? We could restrain her easily" The argument he was making on the girls behalf, he was sure the other man had gone through it so many times over the last hours in his head, it was one last chance at devils advocate. One part of him new she should go back, the other hoped that she could stay. But it wasn't his decision to make, now was it?

A sigh and a dark, haunted expression, "Rowan has already demonstrated that being with the person she cares about the most is the biggest aggressor, Albus. And even as a muggle, she can hurt herself, unless she's watched or bound constantly. She shouldn't have to live her life tied to a bed… and we can't afford the manpower to watch her. Besides, she can have visitors at St. Mungos"

"After just one day, you make such a harsh judgment. Is that entirely fair?"

"No. I don't think so. But it's a concern to me, you must understand that. She's given so much, it's hard to try and convince you and myself to put her back in an unfriendly place. But what else can I do?"  
Albus absently picked up his tea cup, taking a gentle sip out of it before answering. His expression was grave, serious and completely candid, "You shouldn't talk to me about it, Draco. You should spend more time talking it over with yourself. You feel helpless now, powerless to help her and that's not normally your element. You love her or you would have if this hadn't happened-"

"I –do- love her, Albus" Draco interrupted, spitting the words out, eyes flashing, standing up stiffly, "more than I could have ever imagined. There's nothing else but her"

"Then let me finish and sit down." Arched brows, he stayed silent till the younger man slowly lowered himself back into the chair, looking very sullen, "as I was saying. You love her, but you haven't spent enough time with her to really fully love her as you could have. You care for her a lot, but you are unsure how to go forward with this. You think that you are giving up on her, and thus you are edgy about people questioning how much you care for her safety. The fact is, Mr. Malfoy, that love is hard. Even in the best of times, with the most perfect conditions. It is work, and it is sacrifice and making hard decisions for the person you would die for. Dying for the person you love is quite easy in comparison to living for them."

Silence now, the young man watching the ground still sullenly, but there was a glint of what, the older wizard hoped, was understanding in those eyes. His eloquently curved lips were set in a frown, blonde hair unkempt and falling into his eyes. On the pale skin of Draco's neck, there were bruises from his recent attack. None of this was on his mind though, he looked confused, hurt and so vulnerable, "what are you saying I should do, then?"

He answered with a shake of his head, though the other didn't see it. After a moment of consideration, his words came out carefully, "I can't make this decision for you. I must merely try to make your options clear for you. You can send her back to St. Mungo's now. No one would blame you for this. Many people have loved ones affected as such, and under the healer's care, still more of them have failed to be able to care for those people, even with the best attempt. You could continue visiting her there and hope that she improves. Or you could keep her here, find out what her problems are and try to talk through them with her, maybe get one of the Auror's who come from Muggle-born families to help you out. See if you can get her to improve. If she worsens, then you can still take her back to St. Mungos. Or, because she is signed out under your care, you can return her to her home and have her family take care of her."  
"You speak of her as if she isn't a sentient being, and merely my pet" Draco muttered bitterly, looking up to Dumbledore.

"Not your pet. But your charge; her care is up to you now, Draco. That is merely what I'm saying."

A painful look, his breath coming out in a shuddering sigh, "she was so strong before this. She told me so ardently that she wouldn't be a victim. Look at her now. I feel so hopeless"

"Nothing is hopeless, remember that if nothing else. She may not recover to her entire self, but there is always room for improvement. Even the Healers from the hospital said that she was amazingly coherent when she is coherent, for someone as injured as she is. There's just that other part in her that we need to deal with. One step at a time though."  
"You think I should keep her here"  
Dumbledore shrugged, taking another sip of his tea, eyes twinkling some what sadly still, "What do –you- think?"

Harry got off his rounds, bidding farewell to Ron as he went off to spend the rest of the evening with Hermione. The two of them were painfully cute sometimes. 'Bout bloody time as well, they had been toying with this stupid infatuation with each other for years now. Danger and uncertainty does that to you though, makes you realize what you're missing by being afraid of taking chances. So they were an item and though they were still a trio of friends, he wasn't always included in their activities. Depressing sometimes, he supposed, but he was happy for the two of them. Really, he was.

"Potter, I've been meaning to talk to you" That aristocratic drawl never really changed when he became an Auror, still had the tone of being above anything he saw, and clearly thinking that the person he was speaking to was lower than dirt.

It was that tone that rubbed Harry the wrong way, really. He didn't think anyone was better than anyone else, and clearly Draco had admitted that by turning to this side. Turning over? He had never been a Death Eater. Son of a Death Eater, perhaps, but never one himself; not everyone can be painted by the same brush. With a sigh, Harry turned around to face his arch nemesis, the both of them standing nearly the same height and build, eye to eye, "What do you want, Malfoy?"

A cold smirk, a dangerous flash behind those hard eyes, but the other man clearly took pains to control any sort of harsh retribution, saying very deliberately, "Why were you there, last night? I admit you saved my hide, but why were you there, in her room?"

"I was curious…" Harry said helplessly, shrugging a bit. He was a tad surprised at Draco's words. He had never come anywhere near close to admitting that he needed help, let alone thanking someone for helping him. And this was the closest to either of those that he was ever going to get, he was sure of that.

"So you just came to stare at the freak? At the amazing broken muggle who saved your life and couldn't be put back together again?" Draco snipped harshly, bringing Harry right back into reality and realization as to whom he was talking to.

His own eyes flashed at that, and he returned Malfoy's glare quite evenly, "She's not a freak. I don't think that, and neither do you. I wanted to see how she was, if she'd gotten any better around you."

The other man looked taken aback at that admission, blinking dumbly for several long moments. He had silenced Draco, the boy with a tongue to flay anyone alive. If it had been any other situation but that, he would rejoice, but it was this situation and he could merely stand there waiting for a response, "As you can tell, she didn't."

"She responded better to you than she had to any of the healers, Draco. That's got to mean something, surely"

"What would you know!" Was the screamed response, making Harry tense for an attack. An attack that never came and for some reason, that made his heart break. His rival who had always had so much fire in him looked as if he was collapsing from the inside… giving up. He should be happy about this. He had defeated the Prince of Slytherin, everything he and his friends had ever despised. But all that petty rivalry made him sick to his stomach. He had hated someone he had never bothered to get to know, had only assumed the worst, and the man had proven in the last couple years that nearly everything Harry, Ron and Hermione had thought of him was wrong. He was on their side, and he needed help.

He raised one hand to rest on Draco's shoulder, half expecting to be hit for the contact. But he wasn't, the other man looking up to him tiredly, desperately, as if begging with all the pride that he could muster. Harry shook his head, "Listen mate, perhaps I don't know exactly what I'm talking about, but I've picked some things up. You got her out of her shell; she had a bad turn of it, yes. But for that time she was out of her shell she was feeling and responding to what was around her. That is a good thing, sure she tried to kill you, but there's got to be a reason for it and the fact is, after she realized what was happening, she turned to you. That means that you are her rock, you're her turning point. You are all she has."

Draco raised his hand, frowning at Harry. He looked as if he were about to remove the hand on his shoulder, but he merely lay his on top, sighing softly, "And what if I'm not enough?"

Right now… genius, his mind said darkly, he's looking to you for something uplifting yet practical. What are you going to tell him? How can you assure him that he'll be enough, how would you know? Give him false hope? You wouldn't be doing him any good, you just had to open your big mouth and give your input. Try to help out, oh the bleeding heart of Harry Potter, ever the hero and martyr. Harry frowned and shrugged, his expression open, not listening to the demons inside his mind for that brief moment, "Everything takes time, if you try to do it all at once and all by yourself, you'll stretch yourself to thin and you'll both suffer. Do it bit by bit, and accept help, if she'll respond to that. You don't have to fight all your battles alone, y'know"

"After all the things we'd been through, Potter. You would offer me help?" Astonishment, perhaps even gratitude; or was that too much to hope for in one sitting with a former enemy?

"We're on the same team, Draco. Yeah, I would help if you would let me. Perhaps you could even call me by my first name?"  
"And why would I do a thing like that?" there it was, that spark behind his eyes as he shrugged off Harry's hand, letting his own fall back to his side, a tiny smirk playing across his lips.

Harry spluttered for a moment, "Accept my help?"

The other man laughed and shook his head, "No, Potter, use your first name. Old habits die hard, you know. For a man so seemingly perceptive about some things..." a sarcastic drawl in his voice, "You are quite a smeg-head sometimes." Oh, well then, perhaps Harry hadn't been wrong about –quite- so many things.

"Bloody hell, Malfoy" but the tone was good natured, and for once in a long time the two of them were able to laugh, even if it was a bit awkward, it was a genuine laugh.

It was safe now, she didn't need to worry so much about keeping her eyes closed, Draco had put something over her eyes that she couldn't remove even if she wanted to. It kept her in complete darkness; it kept them in complete darkness. And that was what was important. She must never forget control though, when she lost it, they seemed to gain it from her and make her do horrible things. Make it seem as if it was her who wanted to do those things, sometimes it was not clear what she wanted and what they wanted. They seemed to use her desires against her, mold and push them towards what they wanted, what she didn't want. It was so hard to fight sometimes. But she had to fight; she couldn't remember why, exactly, that part of her had been chased away so long ago. Had it actually been a long time? An eternity, a lifetime, or merely weeks; perhaps even just days? She hadn't seen Draco in so long, she couldn't quite remember him clearly, just a general fuzzy feeling and vague outline of his features, as if she would recognize him if she saw him, but she couldn't picture him completely when she couldn't see him. She remembered all the things before the incident, all the things but what was inside her. She knew what she was, that she loved Draco… but she didn't know who she was, or why she loved him. It was so hard, as if she were merely a cup with cracks and holes that leaked things when she shouldn't.

She slowly stood up from the bed, running her hands along the sheets as she pulled them back. Her toes scrunched into the soft plush carpeting. She just stood there enjoying the sensations of the things around her. The bed had been big, in the four-poster style, metal that felt cool and smooth to her touch. There were warm curves to it though, not the stylish asymmetrical lines that she had expected Draco to pick. Nothing she felt reminded her of his taste. This worried her for a long while as she stood there enjoying it, feeling at home in these furnishings. These weren't what she remembered to be what he would choose. Was she wrong? Did she somehow remember him wrongly, so horribly wrongly that she couldn't even feel his touch anywhere in this room he had been in not too long ago?

Then she realized. This was all done purposely, solely for her sake, in a style that he assumed she must like. She did like this, as alien as it all felt to her, she liked it. It seemed comforting to her, the things she could feel beneath her fingers, it reminded her of what she felt. Perhaps she wasn't so hopeless after all.

Suddenly she felt so light, with bubbles of joy forming rainbows beneath her eyelids. She laughed and spun in a circle with her arms outstretched, fingers splayed out as far as they could manage. She was Rowan and a man who loved her knew her, and was telling her who she was. For now, that was good enough.

Laughter. He could hear laughter through the door as he paused before it. Not maniacal laughter, but pure joyful laughter. The type a sane person has. From a person who has something to live for, something to work for, something to be happy about. How could he have taken such a wondrous sound for granted? He smiled and just paused there, listening to her. He couldn't give up on her, not now or ever, because she still had the ability to laugh like that.

Things weren't so hopeless after all.


	3. Means to an end

Why did he do this, day after day? Sometimes he even doubted his usefulness at this task, anymore. What had one student called him upon graduation? A twisted old man with a heart black as coal and a soul of ice. An accurate description actually, he did feel twisted, cold and black. Sometimes he wondered the point of trying to save a world that had spat him back out. He missed the cool precision of his class room at this moment, as he walked through the dark crypt-like halls of where he was. Things were accelerating at a frightening pace now, soon it would be open war and he would need to be as far from these people as he could possibly manage. And to think this darkness and luring power once held comfort in his mind .

"Severeus Snape, what are you doing lurking around here at this time? Aren't you supposed to be off trying to be an ineffectual double agent for the Dark Lord?" ahh, that eloquent southern drawl of a proper English Wizarding Aristocrat.

He turned, brows raised ever so slightly, his face completely blank of all emotion, in the bowels of this hell, emotion could kill you, "Lucius Malfoy, aren't you supposed to be off bribing someone to cover up your blunders?"

There was a wolfish grin from the other man, teeth shining with white perfection. Was there anything about this man that wasn't perfect? Other than his soul, Snape supposed. If he had been accused of having a soul of ice, Lucius had one made of the most polluted filth muggles could drain out of London. It was a source of small victory that Draco was out of this man's grasp for good now, "You're looking a little green, Severeus... spending too much time in that hole you call a class room again? No, I am here to show you something, actually. The Dark Lord wants you to aide in this, you're good at getting into Albus' trusts, so you must help ascertain a situation stays the way it is. One of your potions for weakening mind defenses might do."

"Do not presume you know enough about me to tell me how to do my job. Show me what you must show me, and be done with it" He said impatiently, returning the other man's dark glare.

Why hadn't he stalled walking into the room he was about to walk into? Or had some sort of premonition and not even followed Lucius at all. It was for reasons like this that he was where he was, but also the reason he felt so helpless in some cases.

"I'm not a Pyschotraumatologist Draco. I can try to help you… but I can't guarantee that just because my parents are Muggles, that she'll respond to me at all"

He was lost at that first word, blinking at the brown haired woman in front of him as she watched him from over the book she was reading, "A psycho-what'sit?"

She sighed, getting her 'lecture' expression on, offering him a gentle smile, "It's a muggle term for a type of psychologist" again he had a confused expression, so she inclined her head, "a mind healer of sorts. The one I mentioned, they deal with people who have gone through intense and strenuous abuse or torture. They try to work out a person's problems."  
"You think she needs a Muggle doctor then?"

"Merlin's Beard! No… that would be the stupidest thing you could do, in my opinion." She put the book down on her lap, frowning deeply, "If he managed to get to the bottom of it, he wouldn't be able to deal with whatever magical demons are in her mind. It could damage her and perhaps him."

Draco's eye brow's raised curiously at this, crossing his arms over his chest and giving her a very non-plussed look. She wasn't really being very helpful, the smartest woman he could think of, and she was rambling off random terms and negative answers. She was far too practical for any sort of natural human, "So you're telling me you think I'm wasting my time"

"No... You're hearing that from my words. I'm just pointing out my limitations. Have you tried talking to her?"

"Yes, she doesn't really say much of anything. Today all she did was talk about how soft the carpet was, after spending an hour and a half apologizing for trying to kill me. She isn't opening up to me"

She snorted, her expression seeming to tell him that she thought him a thick headed louse, "Its not going to happen over night, Draco. You have not patience at all. You've got to talk to her, guide her towards the questions, and not quit at every little hitch"  
He glared hard at her, eyes flashing dangerously, "It's harder than you think it is, Grainger"

"Awww, poor rich kid Draco has met something he can't just master with a charming grin and a flash of force. The world must hate him, making him actually have to work for something" She spat out, slamming her book closed and standing, "Fine, Draco. Give up. Give up and assume that it's not worth your time. Don't look at me to give you any sure fire tips. She's depending on you, whether she knows it or not. And this war would be long over if every horrible thing that they have done to us and our loved ones was easily turned aside and defeated. I've seen Neville's parents, Draco. Count yourself lucky and work with what you've got!"

All he could do is glare sullenly at her, arms still crossed over his chest, body and posture tense as she walked past him, tossing her long curly hair angrily. His mouth was open, but no words were coming out.  
He flinched as the door slammed shut behind him. Why were people continuously telling him the same thing concerning Rowan? They always seemed to presume he had never had to work hard for something before. That he was giving up when the going got tough. He wasn't giving up…. he was just out of his element. He didn't know what to do, didn't know how to ask for help, and didn't know if anything could help. He hated being helpless, and that's just what he was like with her. Out on a limb, unsteady, unsure. He didn't like this feeling, he didn't like watching someone he was finding himself completely and utterly in love with so broken. Perhaps they were right. He had worked hard at things, Quidditch, School, impressing his father. But this was different. This was a complete and utterly different pitch he was playing on, and so he was feeling deep and incomprehensible defeatism. Did he have the strength for the both of them?

She had the strength to survive thus far, it was the least he could do.;

Rowan lay atop of the covers of her bed, arms spread out to each side of her, fingers not reaching the edge of the bed on either side. She had dreamed last night, dreams… it felt good to dream again, to be able to see things, if only in her mind and from her memories. She woke up sweating and scared, still able to conjure up the images… two men in a room, watching her, but not seeing her. Seeing something else. She recognized one of them… tall, stately, impeccably groomed and cold, Draco's father was a hard man to forget, a hard man to remember… she was in a cold sweat just thinking about him now, fighting hard to keep herself where she was. It was hard, even when remembering his face, to hold onto reality. She wanted so badly to run and hide in the back of her mind. Control though, she must find control. Rowan didn't know who she was, but she was trying so incredibly hard to stay here so she could find out. The other man, she could think about the other man, he seemed to be the opposite of his companion in so many ways. Shorter but not by much, unkempt almost greasy looking black hair, a sickly looking complexion as if he did not venture into the sun very often, a bitter expression on his face. Yes, bitter… not the pure look of enjoyment that Draco's father had. Who was he, and why did he make her feel so sad to look at?

"Rowan, are you awake?" This was a different voice, one she hadn't heard before this. A soft female voice that was preceded by the opening of a door.

She sat up and nodded but being as blind to the world around her as she was, it felt odd to do that, so she spoke, "I am…. who are you?"

The rustle of cloth, the sound of feet on the soft carpet and finally the door closing before the woman spoke, "I am Hermione Grainger, I am… a colleague of Draco's"

"A colleague?" She had to fight the panic that was shivering up and down her spine from the moment the door closed, had to concentrate on the words, the sounds, and the place of being here, even though all it really was, was a with a stranger in a dark place, "You work with Draco? What do you do?"

"What do I do? Well, I am what they call an Auror, along with Draco, Harry, Ron and many other's, we try to prevent bad Wizards from hurting innocent people, and Muggles" the voice stopped a safe distant from her, as did the movement. Suddenly there was the sliding of cloth, as if the other woman had sat upon the ground.

Rowan nodded slowly, turning to face her and gingerly toying her hands over the blankets, "sort of like a cop, then"

The other woman laughed softly, "yeah, something like a cop of the wizarding world, only, we seem to be fighting a war at the moment"

"All police fight wars on their own specific turfs and areas of jurisdiction: War on Drugs, War on Crime, and War for protection of innocent Muggles. Why do you call us muggles?"

"You know… I don't really know why we call you muggles. We're all humans. My parents are Muggles"

Rowan paused for a moment, head tilting to the side curiously. This was such a normal conversation, it felt right. Just talking like this, speaking with the other girl, it felt so good just to talk, talk like who she was, " You grew up with muggles?"

Another soft laugh and the sound of hands rubbing against carpet, "It's hard to explain. I was born to two muggle parents, with the Wizarding gift. Sometimes that happens, but up until I was eleven, I didn't know all this existed, then I got a letter, and it was all explained to me. My parents are both dentists."

"England has dentists?"

"Yes… England has dentists, thank you very much. I do not understand the North American obsession with the fact that British and other European people have bad teeth"

Rowan smiled, baring her perfectly straight pearly whites, raising a finger to point at them, "How many British people do you remember with teeth like this?"

Hermione laughed and shook her head, "I grew up in a dentist's office. Far more than you give us credit for!"

"I'll leave you alone about it then" Rowan laughed softly, ducking her head and moving to toy gently with her hair. She was silent for a long moment, just listening to the other breath and run her fingers through the carpet, the scratching sound of flesh on plush ringing in her ears for a while before she spoke, "Can I ask you something? You mentioned Harry… he was the one in the room with me and Draco, when I was first here, wasn't he?"

Her voice was so small, even scared. Visibly the other woman had seemed to hunch over and shrink into herself, her features going pale and drawn. Hermione couldn't help herself; she stood up and moved to sit beside Rowan, moving to wrap her arms around her gently. At first, the woman had tensed up, breath catching between bared teeth; but then there was a sob, and Rowan just accepted her embrace as Hermione spoke, "Yes, he had been in the room. He's been a friend of mine since I was eleven."

"He was the one they were chasing in Florence, wasn't he?"

"Yes. He and Ronald had been patrolling the city together, when they both had been separated. Three Death Eaters zeroed in on Harry and chased him to the square where you were, you gave him enough time to open a portal to an Auror stronghold, but before he could get you, the other's dragged him to safety. By the time they reopened the portal and got back, you were already gone"

The other woman had started shaking a bit, shivering ever so slightly and rocking back and forth with Hermione's story. She stayed silent for a very long time after that, they both were, each one waiting for the other to speak. It was the blindfolded one that finally made a noise, "Why did they want him?"

"Well, it all started eighteen years ago, when Harry was only a baby…"

"I thought you weren't going to help me," Draco said in a whisper as Hermione slipped out of the door, shutting it silently behind her and leaning against it to watch him from across the hall.

"Oh, I didn't do it for you. I did it for her, because I owe her for saving my friend's life" she said stiffly as her arms crossed over her chest. She stood there, glaring at him like a guardian of the occupant in the room behind her, an impassable guardian.

He sighed softly and tilted his head to the side, offering a shrug, "Of course, that makes perfect sense. Look, Hermione… I thought of what you said-"

"Forget it Draco. I know you weren't going to give up on her, and I know you were just trying your best. I lost my temper."  
"How is she?"

Hermione offered him a soft smile and tilted her head, waving her hand in a gesture to get him to walk beside her as she turned down the hall. He did, watching her curiously as she spoke, "She's sleeping now. She's really scared, but I'm sure you already knew that. At first, when I was talking to her, we were just talking as if nothing was wrong. She was there, and she was laughing and looked unburdened. But the subject got onto what had happened in Florence, and she seemed to withdraw"  
Draco took a sharp breath, faltering in his steps as she said this. She caught his arm before he could turn back towards the room, "You pushed her back into herself? Why?"

"Listen to what I am saying first, Draco. Please?" Hermione squeezed his arm, before letting it go and glancing back to the hallway in front of them, "She didn't withdraw like that. I'm sure she wanted to, but she didn't. She just seemed to get smaller, more vulnerable. I told her what happened with Harry. And then she asked me why they wanted Harry. So I told her, I explained the whole thing to her, because I couldn't think of anything else. She seemed as a child, Draco… but when I was done, she merely smiled and fell asleep."  
"She's okay?"

Hermione nodded slowly, before shrugging, "She was breathing normally, and she looked peaceful, not blank, and not catatonic. Just like a normal dreamer. So I tucked her in again and decided to take my leave."

"Thank you Hermione." Draco grinned to her as he stopped, pulling her around to face him. He was so beautiful when he smiled, she thought dreamily as he moved to kiss both her cheeks, "Thank you, so much. For helping out on this, not matter what you say your motives are."

"Albus, I can not do this any more. I have to pull out, there is no other way."

"Severeus, your work is detrimental to our cause. Even now you brought us substantial information that will help us considerably. You can't pull out"  
"They want me to hurt her, Albus. If I don't, then they will know I am a fraud and it will all be for naught. Some may say I'm a coward, but I can not do you any good dead."

"We don't want to risk your safety, Severeus, you know that. There is no other way?"

"No, Albus… I know this is a test of my loyalty, and when I don't do anything, or report back, they will know me as a traitor and my life will be pain after this."

"There is no way to fake an effect, at all?"  
"It's her mind, Albus! No, there is no faking any of it. They want complete control, even if I could do it temporarily, you know better than I that if they gain that foot hold once, that is all they really need. She would never recover from that."

"So you think you can help her?"  
"As long as Lucius wasn't lying to me as to what they did with her, he found a way to keep the mind relatively intact during the Cruacious curse. She won't be the same as before, but she has valid reasons for her behavior. I believe that with work, we may be able to remove them from her mind"

"Then take a long way about getting back here and you can tell Draco the good news"

"Brilliant"

His face was getting rough again; scratchy and all stubbly with a day and night's worth of growth. Luckily it wasn't easily seen, with his hair being as light blonde as it was. Draco snorted and pulled out his shaving blade, marveling over the idiosyncrasies of morning ponderings.

He lathered up the soft foam and spread it evenly on his face, before raising the blade and making carefully smooth strokes to remove the hair. Oh sure, there were wizarding ways to do this, his father had taught him and he had learned several others from the kids at school while growing up, but he had tried this not long after meeting Rowan and he hadn't ever gone back. His mind seemed to loose its tension in the mundane and normal process, allowing him time to sort his thoughts out before continuing with the day. The sun was spilling in through the windows and warming his feet and lower legs.

"You're still doing it that way, Draco?" the voice was dark, callous and brooding to someone who didn't know its owner.

It took the blonde a great deal of control to not cut himself on the last stroke when he was surprised by the sudden emergence of a new voice. Glancing in the mirror behind him he smiled before rinsing his face off, "of course, it's a lot more effective than anything the wizarding world could come up with"

"I taught you potions that would sear the hair off of a kiwi without damaging the fruit, and you prefer putting a dangerously sharp blade close to your throat?" his old potions master snorted, watching from the door way, "you've no common sense."

"And you still haven't been getting enough sun, Severeus." he laughed and turned around, drying his hands on a towel, head tilting to the side, "You're back?"

The older man nodded, his greasy black hair shifting into his eyes a bit, "Yes, for good this time, I'm afraid."

Draco gave a genuine smile, tossing the towel on the sink and moving to hug his old Professor, "you're afraid? That's good news, Its been a long time since I've seen you."

"A lot has happened in that time, much more than should happen."

"Yes…" Malfoy froze, pulling back from the other man to give him a troubled expression, "you've heard? Did… where you there… when.. she was?"  
"No, boy… I wasn't there. I was on another mission. Your father was in charge of her."

"My father" the voice got weak, its owner paled a bit, his beautiful eyes closing to mask the pain showing in them, "did he know?"

"That she knew you? Yes, she told him apparently. He's designed her for two uses now."

Draco moved past Snape, walking back into his room and reaching for a shirt to pull on over his head, "two uses. What do you mean?" his voice was clipped, boiling over with a brooding fury that flashed in his eyes when he looked at the other man.

Severeus frowned softly, shaking his head, " One of them was to kill you with the very person you loved. He wants you to suffer, Draco. He hates you so deeply for your betrayal."  
"I know that. I've been aware of that, even before I made my decision, my father had plans for me," Draco remarked softly, letting out a slow breath and prompting his mentor further, "The second?"

"To gain them knowledge of the stronghold we're in. When she opens her eyes, they see everything and everyone that is around her. They're in her mind… I've been there, your father showed it to me, they can't control her fully, she's fighting them more than they had anticipated."

"So she's not actually…she's got reasons?"

Severeus Snape, in his long tenure as this boy's god-father and guardian, had never seen Draco cry in relief. He had seen angry and sad tears coming from those cold eyes, but not the sheer heart breaking sensation of a damn overflowing with emotion, he was speechless as he watched it, before reaching over to squeeze Malfoy's shoulder , "She's… never going to be quite the same, but… her mind was kept amazingly intact. I'm here to bring her back to you, boy"

Rowan lay there in the dark room, dark because nothing had light or colours anymore, hands buried into the plush carpet, mouth partway open in a blank and mindless smile. The ground hitched a bit beneath her – not really, but according to her mind it did. it was so hard to tell now- as the door opened and Draco's voice sounded gaily through the silence, "Rowan, love… I've got wonderful news"

She laughed lowly at that, the sound resonating from her throat as she turned her head towards him, "not as wonderful as you might think…"


End file.
